


Ballerina Twirl

by PotterheadAvengerDemigod



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, Cute, Cute Kids, Cutesy, Fluff, Gen, Kid Fic, M/M, Tumblr, bitty is secretly a kindly grandma at heart, but a really cool one, captain Bitty, figure skating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-23 13:28:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9659423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PotterheadAvengerDemigod/pseuds/PotterheadAvengerDemigod
Summary: The kid in the stands holding the sign that says “do a ballerina twirl” calls to Bitty like few other things have.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a Tumblr post (https://checkbitts.tumblr.com/post/155516842822/ive-seen-pictures-of-the-kid-holding-up-a-do-a)

Inspired by  [ this post ](https://checkbitts.tumblr.com/post/155516842822/ive-seen-pictures-of-the-kid-holding-up-a-do-a) on Tumblr.

* * *

 

It’s Samwell’s first game of the year, and Bitty’s first game as Captain of the SMH. He’s a tad worried for how the team’s going to perform, because the new batch of frogs (or, well, the spawn, as the taddies have jokingly started to call them), while proficient in hockey, are just too new to the SMH for their teamwork to show through yet. To make things worse, with Ransom and Holster gone, their main d-men pair are now Nursey and Dex, who are  _ really  _ good, if Bitty’s honest, but their secondary d-men pair aren’t exactly on par. They argue too much, even more than Nursey and Dex had their first year, and Bitty doesn’t really have much hope for their teamwork.

But Bitty likes to think that with a little more time the team will slowly learn to play as seamlessly as the old SMH used to.

Okay, maybe not  _ as  _ seamlessly. There will never be another pair of d-men who were as scarily telepathic as Rans and Holtz seemed to be.

Still, it’s the first game of the year, and it’s against Hartford Main University, who have never been a particularly strong team, so Bitty’s holding out hope.

He’s talking to Mats, their rookie goalie who’s starting the match for them, a last minute pep talk to calm the boy down a bit. They’re still in warmups now, and the Hartford team is skating around on their side of the rink, and Dex and Nursey are leaning against the boards and chatting with Chowder, who’s sitting on the benches in full goalie pads, ready to come in at any moment.

“You’ll do great, Mats,” Bitty says, reaching up to pat Mats on the head, even though the rookie is a good half a foot taller than him. “Chowder was nervous the first time he started a game for us too.”

Mats’s eyes are wide, surprised. Bitty knows that Chowder’s pretty much his idol, and knowing that he and Chowder had this thing in common was a pleasant surprise.

“Now, come on, you got this, eh?” Bitty barely pushes down the flush that threatens to darken his cheeks at the ‘eh’ that had slipped out, but Mats either doesn’t notice or doesn’t deign to mention it.

Mats replies in the positive, and Bitty’s turning away to do some stretches when he sees the sign.

It’s a little kid up in the bleachers, far up enough that he’s not particularly noticeable, but near enough that he’s got a clear view of all the players. The kid is probably about six and holding a sign that’s almost as big as he is, a blue cardboard rectangle that has the words “Do a ballerina twirl” written on it in the signature messy handwriting of a child. The edges are coated in silver glitter and the words are messy and slanted, but Bitty thinks it’s cute.

The kid is obviously excited, clutching the hand of the woman -probably his mum- beside him and practically jumping up and down in his seat as he waves his sign, but he visibly deflates as more and more players skate right past him. Bitty doesn’t think anyone’s purposefully ignoring the kid, he doesn’t think  _ anyone _ could be as heartless as to ignore the clearly enthusiastic child, but it’s probably a combination of the players being too concerned with the upcoming game as well as the fact that hockey players, while good on the ice, aren’t necessarily graceful enough to pull off a spin on the ice.

_ I’m going to make this kid’s day, _ Bitty finds himself thinking as he goes through his warmup. He pushes himself off past the section of the bleachers that the kid is sitting in, lips pulled into a large grin, sending a wink towards the kid as he passes, even though the kid may not have seen it from under Bitty’s helmet and visor.

He skates out a bit further, looping the net and turning back, a quick tap of his right heel against the arch of his left foot as he spins, a simple turn on the front of his blade. It’s nothing difficult, but just showy enough to catch the kid’s attention.

The child lights up, his face breaking into a bright smile as he straightens in his seat, gaze locked firmly on Bitty. Bitty smiles under his visor, and then he scans the ice in front of him, making sure that it’s clear before he speeds up, gaining the momentum he needs to make a jump. He launches off his left skate into the air, holding his stick close to his body, minimising the risk of both throwing himself off balance and hitting anyone else who could have ventured close to him while he wasn’t looking. He crosses his left leg in front of his right, compensating for the additional weight of his pads when he throws his body into a spin, completing two full rotations instead of the one and a half he’d been aiming for, not exactly a double axel, but also more than a single. If he’d been doing a routine, the extra half a rotation would probably have thrown off his entire form and probably cost him quite a few points, but as it is it just looks intentional and doesn’t affect anything. He uncrosses his legs just as he nears the ice and lands in a standard  _ arabesque _ , one leg outstretched parallel to the ground and his body bent forward, arms outstretched. He glides forward, letting the momentum push him before finally comes to a stop on the ice.

Bitty pulls out of the position and smiles brightly at the kid, waving as the boy cheers, over the moon. His parents are smiling too, and Bitty knows they’re happy to see their son’s wish fulfilled. The boy jumps up and down, still cheering, waving his sign enthusiastically, grin so wide that it seems like half his face is taken up by his smile.

And Bitty’s happy to make this kid’s day, happy to see this adorable little child come alive with joy at something he did. The happiness blooming in Bitty’s heart carries him through the entire warmup and into the game itself, buoys him through the match and lends speed to his skates as he darts past all the bigger, brawnier players, weaving the puck in and out and receiving passes from Ollie and Wicks as he speeds his way towards the goal.

And it’s not a shutout, but they win with a decent margin of four to two, and Bitty gets his first hatty of the year, exhaustion in his face and an ache in his thighs from skating so furiously, but the elation bubbling up in his chest is worth all that and more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day, from me to you! Here's the second part!

When Bitty walks out of Faber’s locker room, freshly showered and dressed in his typical Zimmermann shirsey and talking animatedly to Chowder, the first thing he sees is the glittering blue sign with the words “do a ballerina twirl”. The next thing he sees is a blur of red as something barrels into him at a high enough speed that Bitty has to take a step back to prevent himself from falling, and then he looks down. The little boy from before is latched on tight to him, arms wrapped around his midriff and eyes large in his face as he stares up at Bitty.

Bitty can’t help the smile that spreads across his cheeks even as the boy’s parents come rushing up behind him, apologising for the way their son had run off.

“Oh, it’s perfectly alright, ma’am,” Bitty says as he smiles at the boy’s mother. “He’s such a sweet child, Lord knows there are worse things that could happen to me!”

The kid is still hanging on to Bitty, gaze almost starstruck as he looks up at the hockey player. Bitty ruffles his hair and turns his gaze down on the boy. “What’s your name, huh, sweetheart?”

“My name’s Hank,” the boy says, and the barely noticeable lisp on the ‘s’ makes everything about ten times more adorable.

“I’m Eric,” Bitty introduces, offering a hand which Hank takes and shakes with gusto. “It’s real nice to meet you, Hank.”

"Was the ballerina twirl hard, Mr. Eric?” Hank asks, eyes wide with curiosity. “Mama and Daddy have brought me to other hockey games before, and I brought the sign, but no one’s ever done one before!”

“I’m so sorry,” Hank’s mother apologises. “He doesn’t really get the distinction between hockey and figure skating yet.”

“It’s alright,” Bitty says, smiling, before Hank interrupts, turning to his mum.

“What’s _feeg-ah skating_?”

Hank’s father squats down to meet Hank’s gaze as he explains, “Figure skating is a sport where people dance on ice, Hank. Remember those ice dancers that Mama and I take you to see sometimes? Those are figure skaters.”

“Ohhh,” Hank says, comprehension dawning in his eyes. “So _feeg-ah_ skaters can do ballerina twirls?”

“Yes, sweetheart,” his mum says, and Hank turns back to Bitty, who waves Chowder off, telling him to head back to the Haus first when it becomes clear that this conversation might stretch longer than expected.

“Does that mean you’re a _feeg-ah_ skater, Mr. Eric? But you play hockey, right? And Daddy says they’re not the same thing…”

Bitty squats down so that he can make eye contact with Hank, grinning softly as he explains, “Yes, I play hockey, Hank, but I used to be a figure skater before I learned how to play hockey! That’s why I can do a ballerina twirl.”

Then Bitty leans in conspiratorially, stage whispering, “I’ll tell you a little secret, sweetheart. Most hockey players don’t know how to do a ballerina twirl!”

Hank’s eyes widen. “Really?”

“Really.” Bitty nods.

“Even Jack Zimmermann?” Hank asks, voice dropped to a reverent whisper at Jack’s name. “He’s so good at skating!”

Bitty stifles a laugh at the clear worship in the boy’s voice and schools his face into a serious expression before he answers, “Even Jack Zimmermann.”

Then Hank’s gaze drops to Bitty’s Zimmermann shirsey and his eyes widen. “I love your shirt,” he blurts, the non sequitur making Bitty let out a startled laugh.

“I love it too,” Bitty replies. “Do you like Jack Zimmermann, Hank?”

Hank nods vigourously, bouncing up and down as he starts talking about Jack.

Hank’s parents are smiling indulgently, happy that their son is happy, and with their attention fixed on their son and Hank’s attention fixed on talking about Jack, Bitty is the only one who notices when the door to Faber opens. A familiar silhouette appears in the doorway, and Bitty recognises the breadth of those shoulders and curve of that ass immediately.

It’s Jack. He’d come down for Samwell’s first game of the year, his schedule temporarily quite clear, and Bitty abruptly remembered that Jack had told him he would be waiting outside Faber for him after the game. Bitty had gotten so caught up talking to this adorable little kid that he’d forgotten to tell Jack he’d be delayed, and now Jack’s come looking for him, presumably.

Oh, but this is good timing!

Hank’s speech about Jack Zimmermann slowly dwindles to a stop as he runs out of things to say, and Bitty smiles at the boy before asking, “You really like Jack Zimmermann, huh? Have you ever met him?”

“No,” Hank replies, deflating a little at the thought. “Mama and Daddy say that locker room entrance is too expensive and isn’t worth it.”

In the time that Bitty’s talking to Hank, Jack’s gotten close enough to hear that last bit and the lopsided grin on his face tells Bitty exactly what his dork of a boyfriend is planning. Jack’s still far enough away that both Hank’s parents and Hank haven’t noticed him, especially with their backs turned to the door, but he’s near enough that when he mouths _turn him around on the count of three_ , Bitty can understand his meaning.

Jack raises a hand, and slowly creeps nearer, slowly lifting first one finger, then the second, then the third, and Bitty spins Hank around.

Hank’s parents turn at the same time, startled by Bitty’s sudden movement, and then their confused expressions all fade to awe as they take in the man standing before them.

“You’re-” Hank’s dad starts, eyes wide, and Bitty can immediately see the resemblance between he and his son.

“J-Jack Zimmermann,” Hank’s mother gasps softly, and Jack smiles lopsidedly. He slings an arm around Bitty’s shoulder, pulling him in for a side hug before letting him go.

“I am,” Jack acknowledges even as he squats down to Hank’s eye level.

“Hi, what’s your name?” Jack asks, tone gentle, and Bitty can immediately tell the difference between this Jack and media Jack. Jack loves kids, Bitty reminds himself, and then feels his heart flutter in his chest as Jack picks Hank up and swings him into his arms, grinning broadly when Hank shrieks with laughter.

Hank’s gaze is still starstruck, but the silent awe has become amazed elation, and the six year-old is all smiles and giggles as Jack answers innocent question after question that Hank rattles off like a machine gun.

Then Hank opens his mouth, and the question that falls out is, “Can you do a ballerina twirl on the ice, Mr. Jack? Mr. Eric said most hockey players don’t know how!”

Bitty flushes when Jack side-eyes him, but can’t stop the grin from tugging at his lips when Jack grins and laugh, a deep, full-bodied, genuine laugh, and says, “I’m not as good as Mr. Eric, and I can’t do ballerina twirls, but I can do a few jumps. Mr. Eric taught me.”

“That’s _so_ cool!” Hank enthuses, and Jack laughs,grinning widely when Hank follows up with, “Can you show me some?”  
Hank’s parents visibly falter, and his mother makes to pull Hank back, his dad starting to apologise for keeping them for so long, but Jack smiles and says, “It’s alright, I’d be happy to get back on the ice in Faber.  Been a long time since I last skated here. Just let me grab my skates.”

Jack turns and heads out of Faber to pick up his skates from his car and Hank’s parents turn to Bitty.

“Are you sure we’re not taking up your time?” Hank’s mother asks, brow furrowed slightly. “We wouldn’t want to impose.”

Bitty laughs, smiling when he replies, “It’s really okay, y’all, Jack’s been itching for a reason to skate on Faber ice again. It’s no trouble, especially for a cute little one like Hank here.”

“If you’re sure,” Hank’s dad says, a slow smile starting to stretch his lips. “That’s really nice of you. I have to admit, I always thought NHL players would be really smug or standoffish in real life, which was a part of the reason I never really wanted to meet them. But Mr. Zimmermann is really genuinely nice.”

“Oh, bless your heart,” Bitty sighs, smiling. “But yeah. Jack’s a really nice guy, actually, and he comes back to visit the team whenever he can make it, even though it’s been a good two years since he graduated. We’re always happy to have him back, though. I’m just happy to have a friend like him, y’know?”

That’s when Jack walks back in, his skates dangling from one hand. He grins, ruffling Bitty’s hair even as he asks, jokingly, “Spreading rumours about me to the public, Bittle?”

Bitty rolls his eyes and smooths his hair back in place. “Chirp, chirp, chirp, Mr. Zimmermann. Is that all you ever do?”

“Well, I play some good hockey, if I do say so myself,” Jack replies, shrugging and barely managing to hide his smirk.

Bitty huffs and turns away towards the entrance to the rink.

“If you want to have some ice time before they close the rink you better get your big- uh-” Bitty says, cutting himself off with a glance at Hank’s innocent gaze.

“Butt over here,” Bitty finishes awkwardly, lips twisting into a moue as Jack bursts in laughter and even Hank’s parents try and fail to hide a giggle.

Ice time doesn’t last as long as any of them would like, with the zamboni driver chasing them off the ice after a short while of Jack balancing Hank on his shoulders and skating slow laps around the rink while Bitty skates rings around them, occasionally pushing off into simple jumps and spins while Hank watches with wide eyes.

When the Zamboni driver chases them off the ice, Jack passes Hank back to his parents, who have been standing at the edge of the rink watching, and smiles, offering them a selfie before they part ways, Bitty and Jack headed to Jack’s car so that they can make the short drive back to the Haus while Hank and his parents head off towards their own car, driving home. It’s a amicable parting, with hugs from Hank and handshakes and thank yous from his parents, and when Hank shyly offers up his painstakingly made “do a ballerina twirl” sign to Bitty, Bitty takes it with reverent hands and smiles brightly at the little boy. He holds the sign to his chest and promises to take good care of it, pulling Hank into one last hug before the little boy turns away to clamber into his parents’ car, waving out of the window as the small family drives off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As Shitty would say, Valentine's Day is a overcommercialised, hallmark-card, corporate holiday that should only have meaning if you want it to. Nevertheless, I hope y'all have a great day! It's awesome to have a partner to celebrate Valentine's with, but remember, even if you don't, Valentine's is equally special with friends and family!

**Author's Note:**

> I have a second part to this that involves Zimbits fluff that I'm saving for Valentine's Day! 3 more days, guys, whether you celebrate Valentine's or not! (The second part is also /a lot/ longer.)
> 
> [My Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/_dreamdweller/)  
> Pop over and say hi!
> 
> Buy me a coffee! [My Ko-fi!](https://ko-fi.com/G2G7E646)  
> 


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